T e defi nition of survivor is “to remain
alive or in existence; to carry on despite hard- ships or trauma, to persevere.” I am a survivor. T is past year has dealt so many blows to me that I sometimes can’t tell if I’m coming or go- ing. It all started in February when my uncle calmly announced to us that he has prostate cancer. My favorite, awesome, crazy, uncle. I never really thought of losing him before and that scares me a little. Well, OK, a lot. T en, in early March, not too long after
my juvenile pairs partner Jade and I competed at our fi rst U.S. Figure Skating Champion- ships and placed a respectable seventh, both my father and I broke our hands. T ere we both were, sitting out skating for a few weeks because life had dealt us another blow. Several weeks later, my best friend was whisked off to the hospital for surgery. He had a brain tumor. T ey thought they got it all, but just a few weeks ago they found fl uid on his brain. I don’t know what will happen, but I will remain his friend no matter what. But the worst came this summer. When
we returned from our training in Lake Placid, N.Y., we came home to fi nd my dog extremely sick. After several scary moments with him, it was my father’s turn. A freak accident during a hockey game one night earned him a trip to the emergency room, where a CT scan picked up
something that no one knew was there: a huge mass on his kidney. All through this time, I picked myself up
and skated. I have to focus. I am a survivor, like my partner’s coach Ronna, who took from Ma- ribel Vinson Owen and who was friends with skaters in that plane crash and has survived cancer herself. Jade, my partner and friend, and I have a goal. We plan on winning the Eastern Sectional Championships this year and skating our hearts out in Boston, our home turf. We have a very special program planned honoring survivorship titled “Boston Strong.” I plan on inviting all my friends, family and teachers to come and watch, to see all the hard work we have been putting in. Just like all the hard work that the coaches and skaters have put forth since 1961, building the U.S. Figure Skating Team back up to be the steadfast force that it is. My mother wrote something for me in
our show program this past June, and I think it really captures the idea behind survivorship. “Adversity in life refi nes us. It does not defi ne us. It is as the abrasive is to the jewel — polish- ing and faceting until one sparkles.” So we will move forward from the trials that life has dealt us, each trial a stone, a “pebble in our shoe.” Given all the stones on our costumes this year, I know we’re going to shine. People are often inspired by more than just
one thing, right? If not, well, I guess I’m diff er- ent. I am not only inspired by the opportuni- ties to perform but also by the people who get me there. My parents help me every day, giving me inspiration to carry on. My grandmother enables me to skate with her fi nancial support. My coaches lead me to be strong. T ey help me daily with all of my problems with jumps or spins, showing me that with enough trials and eff ort you will always succeed. My friends have my back after a bad practice or even a good one. Marissa, one of our senior skaters, has helped me learn great lessons and shown me that no matter how bad life can get, you just push through to that light at the end of the tunnel. She has helped me with everything in life, from school, to social situations, to skating, to just about everything. She is always there for me. Lastly I am inspired by the little ones. Although I can skate circles around them, I am always amazed by how tough they can be, tackling things that most people might give up on. I love seeing them at competitions, be- cause they don’t care how well the competition skates. T ey are just happy to see others skate and to skate along with them, which I believe is the way we should all skate. T ey look to the past only to see how they can improve for the future, a true symbol of survivorship.
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